A Better Life
by Faye08
Summary: Harry's life if he had been taken away from the Dursleys at age 6. Where will he grow up? At Hogwarts of course!
1. How it began

It was a normal Friday evening, the Leaving Feast had just ended, and Albus Dumbledore sat in his private quarters. At the moment he was playing chess with his longtime friend, Minerva McGonnagall. He looked over at her and smiled. She was deep in thought, planningher next move. Her hair hung loosely around her face. If you saw her like this, you probably wouldn't think this was the same stern Transfigurations Professor. Albus coulnd't help but stare at her beauty, like he felt himself doing quite frequently over the past years.

"Checkmate!"

Albus snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at her.

"I think we should play a different game next time, my dear, you are winning far too often."

She simply lifted an eyebrow at him and looked into those always twinkling eyes.  
Albus was just about to say something else, when he heard alarms go off in his head. They would only go off if wards around Privet Drive No. 4 had been breached, or if Harry was in mortal danger.  
Minerva saw his shocked expression and asked what was wrong. He quickly explained it to her and hurried to the fireplace.

"Arabella Figg!"

Minerva was quick to follow him.  
When Albus and Minerva stepped out of Mrs. Figg's fireplace, they didn't see her around. However, they didn't have time to wonder where she could be.

"I think it best if we apparate right into the living room" with that, and a pop, Albus Dumbledore was gone.

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Petunia Dursley was busy scrubbing her nearly spotless kitchen floor, when she heard two popping sounds coming from the living room. It couldn't be Dudley, he was out with his friends and Vernon wasn't in there either. Then a voice came from the room.

"Now where is he?"

Petunia recognised that voice very well, it wasn't one she would forget easily. It was, after all, the voice of the man who had burdened her with that freak. When she had found the boy on her doorstep that morning, five years ago, she and Vernon had immediately tried to bring him to an orphanage. But they had to keep him because that man practically forced them to, with a screaming letter! That's where she recognised the voice from.  
She stormed into her living room.

"What are you doing here? How dare you just come into my home like that!" she shrieked "Out! I don't want anything to do with you and your kind!"

McGonnagal let out a small gasp, she had known the Dursleys weren't the most kind people, but she had never expected this reaction. Dumbledore, on the other hand, completely ignored Petunia's words.

"We just came to look for Harry, where is he?"

This only made Petunia scream louder.

"I said: GET OUT! Unless you came to take that freak away you have no business here!"

"Now Mrs Dursley, I think it would be best if you just told us where Harry is, the sooner we know, the sooner we can leave" though he sounded very calm, there was a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Petunia seemed to have noticed this, and immediately said, "He is in the basement, I believe." (AN: I don't know if they have a basement, if not, I'm making one now ;) )

Albus and Minerva immediately rushed into the hallway and down the stairs into the basement.  
The sight that greeted them there, made both their hearts stand still for a moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Little Harry Potter was lying on the ground, a small pool of blood around him. It looked like he was barely conscious.

"Dear Merlin!" Minerva was the first to voice her shock. She shot a quick glance at Albus, and in that moment, she felt a bit of fear for him for the first time in her life. He was absolutely furious, she could just feel the raw power coming off him in waves.

"Minerva, get Harry and take him to Hogwarts" was the first he said.

At first she didn't know what to do, Harry needed immediate help, but she didn't know if it was wise to leave Albus alone with the Dursleys in this state. Who cares what happens to them anyway?  
Albus, seeing her hesitation, said:

"Go now, dear."

So she quickly ran over to the little child, took him in her arms and apparated to Arabella's, where she could use the Floo.

In the meantime, Petunia had also come down to the basement and stood now cowering in fear behind her husband, who was opening and closing his mouth like a fish, realising who stood in front of him.

"I left Harry here, knowing you didn't like magic, or that you maybe wouldn't love him like your own, but I thought that at least you would treat your own nephew properly. I -" he was suddenly cut off by Vernon who had found his voice again.

"Take that little freak back with you, and don't you ever dare come back here again! I don't want any-"

"Silence!" Albus almost lost control of his magic. "I will be taking him back with me, no child deserves what you did to him, and believe me when I say there will be consequences."

With that said, Albus apparated to Arabella's house, leaving two very scared Dursleys behind.

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Arabella had just gotten home from her shopping, when Minerva apparated into her living room, holding a unconscious Harry.

"I have no time to explain, Arabella, Albus will be arriving soon." Minerva said, and then dissapeared into the fireplace.

Not too long after that Albus did indeed arrive. Arabella had never seen him like this, the normally calm man, with the twinkling eyes was completely gone.

"Albus what has happened?"

So Albus told Arabella the story, interrupted a few times by her exclamations of shock.

"I am so sorry Albus, I never noticed anything wrong..."

"It is alright, but if you will excuse me now, I have to go check on Harry."

"Of course, let me know how he is, ok?"

"I'll send you an owl as soon as possible." He threw some powder into the fireplace and dissapeared in the flames.

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When Albus arrived at the hospital wing, he saw Minerva sitting besides Harry's bed, and Madam Pomfrey busy searching various potions.

"How is he, Poppy?" Albus asked while looking at the small child lying in the bed.

"He is malnourished, has a bruised ribcage, several bruises - older and new ones - all over his body, and a lot of blood loss. I can only give him a potion for blood loss, and some salve for his bruises, the rest will have to heal naturally."

"But he will be fine?"

"Yes, it will take some time for him to heal, emotionally too, but I believe he will be fine."

Albus let out a small, relieved sigh.

Minerva had been watching the exchange and noticed that Albus' eyes never left Harry. She saw concern in his eyes, but also something else, was it..guilt?

"Poppy, I want to take Harry to my private chambers, that way I can keep a better eye on him."

Ofcourse Poppy strongly disagreed with the Headmaster, and she got into an argument with him, but in the end she gave in. Who could say no to Albus anyways?

So, Harry was moved to the Headmasters' private quarters, after being checked over by Poppy once more. Albus, of course, got strict instructions from Poppy on how apply the salve, since she was going to spend a few weeks with her sister and would be leaving tomorrow.

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Later that night, Albus and Minerva found themselves sitting on the couch in Albus' living room. They had been sitting next to Harry's bed for a while, watching him sleep, until Minerva decided she had to talk to Albus. So they sat on the couch, where they had spent many hours just talking to each other during the school year. Those times were the highlights of their days, something they both looked forward to everyday. Not that they admitted that to each other, of course. They both sat in comfortable silence for a while, both thinking about the same, untill Minerva snapped out of her thoughts and turned back to the problem at hand. She decided to get straight to the point.

"Albus, I know you blame yourself, but you really shouldn't."

He looked up, rather surprised that she knew how he felt, but then, she always had been the only one to know his actual feelings.

"But Minerva, I put him there, It was my decision -"

"None of that Albus. You did what you thought was best for him, and you can't be blamed for that. We both made a mistake that night, but we won't help Harry now if we get consumed by our own guilt."

"I know my dear, I know" and with that Albus put his head in his hands, and did something no one, not even Minerva, had ever expected him to do: Albus Dumbledore cried.

Minerva quickly got over her shock, moved over to him, and simply held him, for as long as he needed it.

After a while, when Albus had calmed down, he spoke to her:

"Thank you dear."

"Don't say anything, we all need a good cry sometimes."

"And that's coming from you," he gave a small smile to her and gave her a warm hug. 


	3. Chapter 3

Albus awoke early the next morning to a buzzing sound in his head. He had placed a charm on himself that would wake him when Harry awoke.  
He got out of his bed and crossed the hallway to where Harry's temporary room was. Knocking softly on the door before opening it, he walked in.  
Harry was sitting straight up, and though he looked a lot better than he had yesterday, he still looked terrible.

"Hello Harry."

Harry looked a bit frightened at the tall man in bright yellow pajama's before him. He didn't know if he was allowed to say anything so he thought it would be better if he just said nothing.

"How did you sleep my boy?"

This man was asking him how he slept?? In a timid voice he answered:

"Thank you Sir, I slept well."

"I am Albus Dumbledore, Harry. I was a close friend of your parents, in fact, I watched after you a few times when you were just a baby."

"You knew my parents?" Harry asked before he could catch himself. He knew he wasn't supposed to ask questions, especially none about his parents. Was this man going to beat him now?

Albus had apparantly seen the emotions on Harry's face because he said;

"It's okay Harry" he smiled a little at him "I knew your parents very well and I will tell you about them some day, but now we need to talk to you about your relatives."

Fear flashed in Harry's eyes for a moment, but then his face became unreadable.

"I am sorry, Sir. I did something that was very wrong and I promise I will never do it again. I'll go clean up the mess now." he tried to get out of the bed but Albus gently pushed him back.

"No Harry," the child looked up surprised "You need to stay in bed and rest for now." Albus looked the child deep in the eyes, he needed to know that what his relatives did was very wrong "Child, what your Uncle and Aunt did to you was very wrong, no one deserves to be treated that way. And you will not be going back there."

"I won't?" Harry looked hopeful at that, he had always dreamed that one day there would be somebody who would take him away from the Dursleys.

"No my boy, you need to stay here a few days, and then we'll look for some place you want to stay, where you will be loved like you should be."

Harry looked at this man, he seemed nice enough, and he had been a friend of his parents. Besides, there was just something about that man and his twinkling eyes that just made Harry trust him.

"Thank you Sir"

"Now, if you don't mind me asking, what was it exactly that you had done?"

Now he will surely send me back Harry thought.

"Don't worry, I promise you will never go back again." It seemed like the man could read his mind!

"Well, Dudley was punching me and saying things about my parents. I was so angry, Sir, and suddenly he flew into a wall." he spoke softly.

"Hmm, and did any other extraordinary things ever happen to you? When you got really mad, or scared for example?" The nice man didn't even seem to care that his cousin had flown into a wall.

"Well, now I think about it, sometimes."

"Harry, I don't know what your relatives have told you about your parents, but they were wizards. Powerful ones at that. And you are a wizard too, Harry."

"A - A wizard?"

"Yes, my boy."

"So magic is real?"

Albus simply took out his wand and conjured a few little butterflies, and after letting them fly through the room he let them vanish into thin air.

"Wow." Harry looked in awe at Albus. "Can I do that too?"

"When you are eleven, you can attend Hogwarts, that's the school where we are right now, and you will learn everything about magic." He smiled kindly at the child.

"Really?"

"Yes, really, I know because I'm the Headmaster" he winked at Harry "Now, would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, please."

"Why don't you wait here, and I'll be back in a few minutes so we can have breakfast together?"

"Okay."

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When Albus entered his sitting room, he saw several people in the room, like he had expected. Minerva, Hagrid, and Severus Snape were sitting on his sofa's, while Remus Lupin was pacing in front of the fireplace. As soon as he saw Albus he rushed to him.

"Harry's here? Is he alright?" he wanted to asked more questions but Albus held up a hand to stop him.

"Yes, Remus. We brought Harry here and he is recovering. But we believe he will be just fine in time."

Remus let out a sigh.

"Now how did you know about that?"

"He was here for his Wolfsbane, when we heard the portraits talking about it. Of course, the idiot immediately ran here, dropping the vial to the floor. He's lucky I have some left." Snape said with a sneer.

Albus just ignored his comment while Remus scowled at the Potions Professor.

"And you Hagrid?"

"Ran into 'em on me way to the Hall"

"I take it Minerva has told you all what has passed?" he saw them nodding "Well then, I suggest we meet again after lunch, right now Harry is waiting for me."

Sensing the silent dismissal, the teachers left the room. Albus then called a house-elf to bring some breakfast for him and Harry up to Harry's room.

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Ok, I know this chapter is really bad, but I didn't really know how to write it.


	4. Chapter 4

When Albus entered Harry's room again, he found the child staring at the house-elf.

"Master Dumbledore, Tibby brought breakfast for you and young Master Potter, Sir"

"Thank you, Tibby" Albus smiled slightly at the elf, and she disappeared with a crack.

"Who was that?" asked Harry still staring at the spot where the elf stood just moments ago.

"That Harry, was a house-elf. They work here at Hogwarts and take care of the food and clean up the castle."

"Can you disappear like that too?"

"Yes I can, dear boy" Harry smiled at that "But not at Hogwarts, only house-elves can do that. Now, shall we have some breakfast? I see the house-elves have overdone themselves again."

There was indeed a large tray with so much food, you would think it was breakfast for five, instead of two. Albus chuckled at the look on Harry's face. He asked the child what he wanted for breakfast and they ate in a comfortable silence. Harry ate too little for Albus' liking, but the boy insisted he had enough, so he decided to let it rest. When they had both finished, Albus saw Harry needed some rest.

"Why don't you go to sleep, my boy, I can see you are tired."

Harry shook his head 'no' but didn't look at Albus.

"You really need some rest, to heal properly. I will wake you up around lunch-time, then we can go to the Great Hall and have lunch with some other teachers. There are some people who would love to meet you."

"I can't" Harry mumbled, so softly Albus barely heard him.

"Why?"

Harry fiddled with his sheets for a while, but then said;

"I am afraid."

"Afraid of what my boy? You are well protected here, and no one will hurt you."

"I always have nightmares, I hear a woman screaming, then there is a big green light and a man laughing. Sometimes it hurts right here" the child pointed at his scar. He looked down again, he remembered the one time he had gotten into his Aunt's and Uncle's bed, like Dudley always did, after he had a nightmare. They screamed at him, and he had gotten a heavy beating from his Uncle the next morning. All he wanted was some one who would hold him until he slept, like his Aunt did with Dudley.

Albus had tried a little Legilimency, to see what Harry was thinking so he could help him better. He looked sadly at the little child before him, the guilt of leaving him there coming back again.

"Harry, don't worry, it was just a bad dream" Oh, how Albus wished it was, he knew he had to tell the child about his parents soon, but now was not the time.

"If you want me to, I will stay with you until you are asleep. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"I don't want to be a bother to you, Sir" Harry mumbled.

Albus went to sit next to the child and took him in his arms. He felt Harry stiffen and said;

"You will never be a burden to me, my boy" he drew Harry a little closer to him and felt the child relaxing and laying his head down on Albus' chest. It didn't take long for Harry to fall asleep, and Albus soon felt his eyelids drooping also. It had been tiring for him too.

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	5. Chapter 5

Minerva McGonnagall's patience was wearing thin. She wasn't known for being a patient woman, and tardiness was one of the things she disliked most. She was pacing around in her private chambers, waiting for Albus Dumbledore to arrive. They always went to meals together and there hadn't been a single day in her career that he had been late.

It first started when she had just started teaching at Hogwarts. Minerva and Albus were both early risers, and thought they should, as teachers, be in the Great Hall before most students arrived. Albus had offered once to walk with her and it soon became a habit to both of them and they went to every meal together. They always enjoyed their short walks, and often took small detours just to be able to walk together a little longer.

But now Albus was nearly ten minutes late, and she was starting to get a little worried. So Minerva decided to walk up to his office and see why he was so late.

When Minerva walked into Albus' office, she saw no one there. He wasn't in his living-room either. Then she heard a soft noise, something she wouldn't have heard if not for her cat-like ears. Softly she walked into the room where the noise was coming from.

Minerva smiled softly at the sight before her. Harry lay sleeping in the Headmaster's arms, and both wore small smiles on their faces.

_They both could use someone like the other in their lives. _She thought.

_Harry needs someone who loves him, who will be there for him, a father-figure. And Albus…Albus needs Harry just as much._

She knew how hard it had been for Albus to leave Harry behind all those years ago. How he had wanted to keep him, but he had convinced himself and others that he would be better protected at the Dursley's. While that was true, Minerva also knew that he had other reasons. Albus had been afraid that he wouldn't be able to raise a child. That he would be too busy and too old to properly care for him. Not to mention he had no experience in raising a child. So Albus convinced himself that Harry would be better off at the Dursleys.

Minerva really hoped that Albus wasn't going to make the same mistake again. But thinking of his breakdown last night, he probably wouldn't. He now knew Harry could be nowhere better than with Albus at Hogwarts.

Minerva heard a small cough and saw Albus smiling at her with twinkling eyes. He had woken up in the time she had been thinking and she realized she had been staring at them. Blushing a little she said:

"I was wondering why you were late for lunch, so I came up here to check on you."

Albus looked at his watch and saw he was ten minutes late.

"I'm sorry dear, I fell asleep with young Harry here." He looked down at the child, smiling.

"It's okay Albus, I will meet you and Harry downstairs in a few minutes." With that she walked out of the bedroom.

Albus gently nudged Harry's shoulder and the boy slowly opened his eyes.

"Hello Harry, did you sleep well?"

Harry blushed when he realized he slept in the older man's arms.

"Yes Sir, I slept really well."

"Well then, I suggest we get you changed, and then head down to lunch. Is that alright with you?"

"Yes, Sir."

Albus made the child take his potions and then helped him apply the salve to his bruises, to Harry's embarrasment. Then he helped him change into some clothes he had transfigured for him. Albus was still wearing his clothes, so when Harry was done they both headed downstairs to find Minerva waiting for them.

"Here we are" Albus said cheerfully "Harry, this is Professor McGonnagall, she is our Transfigurations teacher."

"Hello Harry, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you Professor." Harry said softly, still shy around people.

"Please, call me Ms. McGonnagall. After all, I'm not your Professor yet" she smiled at him.

"Now shall we?" Albus asked.

Minerva took his proffered arm and together they walked out of the office past the gargoyle. Harry looked around in awe at the things he was seeing, but he still stayed close to the kind man, keeping a firm hold on his bright colored robes. He saw moving gargoyles and statues, but what amazed him most were the talking portraits.

"Boy! Yes you there!" The group came to a halt at the portrait of a young man, with brown hair and kind, green eyes.

"You're a Potter, ain't ya?" the man smiled at him.

"Yes, Sir. I'm Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter…well if you're anythin' like your old man, Hogwarts will never be the same 'gain." The man flashed another smile at Harry and the Professors, and then walked out of his portrait.

"What did he mean, Sir?"

"Well Harry, your dad was a very talented wizard, but he was also a great prankster…" Albus told Harry a bit about his father and the Marauders, but also about Quidditch, which Harry was very interested in. He soon learned that Ms. McGonnagall was the Quidditch fan, and kept asking her questions about it all the way down to the Great Hall.

When they got to the large oak doors, Harry heard a lot of voices and was a bit scared to go in. Albus noticed this and smiled at Harry comfortingly.

"You are going to meet the other Professors today Harry, and I'm sure they are all very nice. Some of them are really looking forward to meeting you."

Minerva snorted at the idea of Severus looking forward to meet Harry.

"Although I must warn you about one person, Harry. He can sometimes be a bit harsh." Albus said to Harry.

_That's the understatement of the year. _Minerva thought.

"Why is that?"

"Well, Severus is not so happy and that's why he can seem a bit mean sometimes, but you must know that whatever he says, he doesn't mean it."

"Did other people do mean things to him too, like my uncle?"

"Yes Harry, it's sort of like that. But he doesn't like to talk about it much."

"Okay" Harry said with a small voice.

Minerva had to hide her smile behind her hand about the way Albus explained Severus' behavior. Of course she understood why he did it that way, how do you explain a seven, nearly eight year-old something about Deatheaters and other things why Severus is so bitter?

Harry sighed and shyly took Dumbledore's hand, still a bit hesitant. Albus smiled down at him and together they walked into the Great Hall.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews:

**Rocklynn-Rosalie  
10th Weasley: **To answer your question, Harry is seven right now. I don't really know how children that age act or think, but I hope its a bit realistic, if not, I think Harry is just very bright for his age. ;)  
**Link Uzumaki  
DragonFire Princess  
honore  
oceanlover14  
cyiusblack  
Blue Fairy and Green Knight  
Krystaluvstwilight  
Lord Lelouch  
iHeArTfAnFiCs  
merodeadores4ever  
sarah  
panther73110**

I'm trying to update every week or so, but if it's possible I'll write the next chap. ASAP.


	6. Chapter 6

Harry slowed his steps when he spotted all the teachers sitting at the table, but then he saw the magical ceiling. He immediately forgot about the others in the room.

"Wow!" Harry stopped walking and took his time to study everything around him.

"It's…it's…" he stammered.

"I take it you like our ceiling?" Albus chuckled.

"It's great! Is it real?"

"Well, it shows what the weather is like outside, but you won't get wet if it rains or snows." Minerva explained to him.

Harry looked around the Hall again and then saw most teachers staring at him. He felt Albus gently tugging him along towards the table.

"Good Afternoon all, I would like you to meet young Harry."

Albus started introducing Harry to everyone at the table, and they all seemed really nice to the young boy. There were only two people left that he hadn't met yet.

"Harry, this is Remus Lupin. He was one of your father's best friends, whom I told you about." The man had brown hair that was a bit flecked with gray, which made him look older than he should be. His blue eyes were gentle but also showed that he had gone through a lot. When he spoke, his voice was soft and kind.

"Hello Harry, nice to meet you. So I take it Albus told you about the Marauders?" Remus said with a smile while Severus snorted loudly at the name.

"Hi Mr. Lupin, yes Mr. Dumbledore told me a bit about your group and he said you could tell me more about my dad."

"I knew both of your parents very well, actually. So maybe we could meet sometime, and I'll tell you about them? I'd like to get to know James' son and you sure look like your dad. The only difference is that you have your mothers' eyes."

Harry smiled at the man. He was very curious to find out more about his parents. When he was still at the Dursleys' he always had hoped someone would tell him a bit about them and now he had met quite a few people who had known them. Mr. Lupin seemed really nice too.

"Yes I'd like to, Sir." Harry answered smiling widely.

"Please call me Remus."

"Well Harry, lastly I would like to introduce you to Professor Snape. He is our Potions Master." Albus said.

_So this is the man Mr. Dumbledore talked about…He really doesn't look happy at all. _Harry thought.

"Hello Professor, nice to meet you" Harry said in a small voice.

"Potter" Severus acknowledged him and glared at the child while Albus shot him a look.

"Nice to meet you too." He finally muttered.

Severus was in a bad mood. It started when he heard that the Potter-brat was going to stay at Hogwarts for a few days. Then it only got worse when Minerva told him it was most likely that Albus would become the brat's guardian. That meant that Potter's son was going to be around even longer. He groaned at the thought. And to add to that, the only free spot at the table had been next to the Headmasters' seat and Albus had seated the child between them.

So, he tried to ignore the happy chat around him, like he always did, and hoped no one would try to talk to him.

Of course, like Potter's always do, the boy had to irritate him even further.

"What do you do as a Potions Master?" Harry asked the Professor next to him. He really wanted to talk to the man, since he had heard the Professor wasn't happy. Harry was intent on making him happy again.

Severus tried to ignore the child, until he heard him ask again and finally answered. He knew that if he didn't, Albus wouldn't like it.

"I teach students how to brew potions" He said shortly.

"So it's like cooking?" Harry smiled. "I really like to cook, my aunt always made me but I didn't mind much."

"No, it's nothing like what those stupid Muggles do." He snapped.

"What are Muggles, Sir?" Harry asked again, ignoring the glare he was receiving. Although he was still shy around people, when Harry had put his mind on something he would do it. And right now, he wanted to talk to Professor Snape.

"In the wizarding-world people call other non-magical people Muggles." Albus said kindly.

A short silence fell and Severus was hoping he could quickly finish his lunch and hurry back to his dungeons. It wasn't going to happen.

"Could you teach me, Sir?"

"What?" He snapped at the child.

"Cooking potions, of course!"

"No, and it's not cooking, it's brewing." He said, growing more irritated by the minute.

"Why not?" Harry asked with a sad face.

Luckily Albus saved him from answering by speaking clearly to all teachers;

"If you could excuse us now, I think Harry and I need to have a small chat, and he needs his rest." While he said this he turned to look at Harry with a smile.

"Shall we go?" He offered his hand to the boy, which Harry took with a smile.

"Could I see all of you in the staffroom in an hour?" Albus spoke to the teachers.

They all nodded and Albus walked out of the Great Hall, with Harry holding on to his hand tightly.

"What do you want to talk to me about, Sir?"

"We need to discuss where you want to stay and who could be your guardian, my boy."

Harry looked at him questioningly.

"Let's wait until we are in my chambers." He said and gave the child a small smile.

They walked the rest of the way to the gargoyle in silence, both in thought. Harry was wondering where they would send him, and Albus was thinking along the same lines too.

There weren't many options for the child. Sure, they would be able to find many families who would love Harry as their own son, but would he be safe?

That only left people from the Order, and none of them were capable or fit to raise Harry. Most were too old or too busy to start a family. Surely the Weasleys would take Harry in, but they already had enough children as it was.

And Remus…Albus knew he would love to become Harry's guardian, but the Ministry wouldn't allow him to because of his lycanthropy.

What Albus wanted most was to raise Harry himself. He had wanted to six years ago, but he was afraid. Afraid that he couldn't raise Harry well enough. So he convinced himself he wasn't able to take him in and that the child would be safer and better of with his relatives. It was a decision he still regretted.

Albus had been very close to the Potters. He had been close friends with Harold Potter, James' father. He visited the Potter family quite a lot and thought of them as some sort of family. When Harold and his wife were killed by Deatheaters just before the end of James' sixth year, James spent the summer with Albus and they got even closer. He had been like a grandson to him.

Albus smiled to himself as he thought of all the times he had spent with James and later on Lily too.

He would ask Harry today if he would like to stay with him. Albus wanted Harry to choose for himself and even if Harry decided not to stay with him, he would make sure the child was cared for.

The Headmaster snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed Harry gently tugging at his sleeve.

"How are we going to get in?"

They had arrived in front of the stone gargoyle. Albus smiled and said:

"Lemon Drops" The gargoyle immediately sprung aside to reveal the winding staircase.

He smiled at Harry's exited look and together they climbed the stairs.

When they both were seated on his couch Albus decided to get straight to the point.

"Harry, I have been thinking, I promised you I wouldn't let you go back to the Dursleys," Harry looked worried for a moment "so we have to find someone else to be your guardian. I'm sure we would be able to find a suitable family for you but I want to ask you something. And I don't want you to feel pressured, take as long as you want to think about it and choose only if you really want it." Harry gave a slight nod.

"Would you like me to be your guardian?"

It was silent for a long time. Harry stared deeply into Albus eyes, with such seriousness any other child his age could never muster. If Albus hadn't known better, he would have thought Harry was using Legilimency. He was even getting a bit nervous now, something that hardly ever happened to him but he forced himself not to break the eye contact. So he just decided to wait until Harry spoke.

Finally, after a few minutes which seemed much longer to Albus, Harry broke the eye contact.


	7. Chapter 7

"You really want to be my guardian?" Harry asked in a soft voice.

"Yes, if you would accept me, there's nothing in the world that could make me a happier man, my boy." Albus said looking into Harry's eyes, wanting him to know that he meant it. "Leaving you with your relatives is the one thing in my life I regret most. Oh, how I wanted to take you with me that day. But I felt that I couldn't, that you would be safer there. I hope one day you can forgive an old man for his mistake."

"I am happy you are here now, so it doesn't matter anymore. I would love for you to be my guardian." While he was saying this, a huge smile formed on Harry's face and he grabbed Albus into a tight hug.

Harry suddenly realized what he was doing, and tried to pull back quickly.

"I'm so-"

"No, it's okay, child." Albus pulled Harry back and hugged him again. It surprised him when he felt Harry relaxing against him and laying his head down on his chest.

"Thank you, Sir. I've always dreamed that someone would come and get me. Thank you so much." A single tear made his way down Harry's face.

"No, I thank you, my boy, for giving me another chance." If anyone could have seen Albus eyes at that moment, they would see his eyes twinkling even brighter than thought possible. He was truly happy. Now he could finally give Harry what the child should have had in the first place.

They sat in silence for a time, both cherishing the moment, not wanting to pull back jet.

Harry spoke up.

"So we are going to be a family now?"

"Yes Harry, if you want to."

"Will my name change, too? I've heard about other children and they did this thing called ad- ado-… "

"Adoption?" Harry nodded. "While I really want to adopt you, we should wait a few years with that. It is a very big step and I want you to be sure of it, should you want it."

"Okay, but we can still be a family?"

"Yes we can." He smiled at the young boy.

"So what should I call you? Mr. Dumbledore?" Albus chuckled.

"You don't have to call me Mr., Harry."

"Hmm…you're not exactly an Uncle Albus, either." Harry sat in thought for a while. "Can I call you Grandpa?" he smiled tentatively.

"You know, when you were just one year old, your father and his friends taught you I was your grandfather. I didn't know that of course, so I was very surprised when I entered your house and you said 'Pa!'." He laughed at the memory. "After that you refused to call me anything but 'Pa', so I kind of became your grandfather."

Harry giggled softly and Albus said;

"Of course you can call me Grandpa, you may call me anything you like, m'boy."

A short, comfortable silence fell again until Albus saw an hour had already passed. He got up off the couch and said with a smile;

"Now, I believe it is time for my new grandson to take a nap. And I have to go to the staffroom soon."

"Please, can I come with you, Grandpa? I'm really not tired!" Albus looked at Harry and saw his excitement and decided to take him along.

"Fine, then. You can come with me if you like."

"Yes, Pa" Harry walked over to Albus and took his hand. Together they walked towards the staffroom, Harry immensely enjoying looking at all the new things he was seeing.

* * *

When they entered the staffroom, all conversation ceased. The Professors had already guessed the Headmaster wanted to talk about Harry's new guardian. Most were hoping the child would stay at Hogwarts, knowing how much their Headmaster cared about him. They all, except for one of course, had taken an immediate liking to the young boy. So when Albus entered, holding Harry's hand, all eyes turned to look at him expectantly.

"Thank you for giving up some of your free time to come here." He smiled at the assembled teachers. "As I am sure most of you have guessed I would like to inform you that I offered young Harry for me to be his guardian. I am glad to say he accepted." Most teachers smiled at the news and congratulated the two, while Severus groaned softly so no one could hear.

"He will be staying with me here at Hogwarts, and I expect all of you to treat him properly." The last part was mostly directed at Severus.

"Have you thought about his education yet, Albus?" Remus asked.

"Ah, I wanted to talk to you about that, Remus. I wanted to offer you a position here, to teach Harry."

"I would love to Albus, but only if Harry's okay with it?" Remus looked at the boy, who nodded excitedly.

"I take that as a yes, then."

"Splendid! We can discuss the details later on. Now, are there any other questions about Harry moving in?"

"How do you expect to raise a child, Albus? You are Hogwarts' Headmaster, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamnot, Supreme Mugwump of the-"

"I am well aware of my many duties, Severus." Albus looked at him sternly, which made Severus feel like a young schoolboy again. "Thank you for your concern," Severus snorted but Albus ignored it, "I will make sure I spend enough time with Harry. Most of my work can be done at Hogwarts, and the few times I have to leave the castle-"

"I or any of the other teachers would gladly watch Harry." Minerva finished and the rest of the teachers nodded.

"Thank you," Albus smiled at them "Does that answer satisfy you, Severus?"

"Yes, Headmaster" Severus grunted. _But don't expect me to look after the brat. _He thought.

"Well then, if there are no other questions that concludes this meeting. If you will please excuse us." Albus nodded to the other teachers and then left the room with Harry in tow.

* * *

Well this was chap. 7, I hope I got Albus' character right. I think he's a difficult person to write. (the others too, 'cause this is my first attempt at a story).

Thanks for the reviews again, you're great!  
**Lord Lelouch: **I agree with you on that. Harry deserved so much more...Yes I thought about that too, Dumbledore teaching Harry occlumency, but right now Harry is too young. And I don't know where I will end this story so...:)  
**JWOHPfan: **Sorry, it's going to be Albus. But I'm sure Severus and Harry will get close too, in time...  
**honore & Rocklynn-Rosalie & oceanlover14: **Haha, I didn't think my cliffhanger was that evil... I thought it was quite obvious that he was going to say yes :P I'll have to try harder next time ;)


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